Is 0.1 phosphate too much?

[Miklo_Miklo12]

Hi, my phosphate is at 0.1 but the corals are wide open and very happy, I’m not sure if 0.1 Po4 is too much can someone please help me?

 

[Perthegallon]

Id say no saltwater aquarium suggest less then 0.2 and keeping it around .012

 

[Miklo_Miklo12]

So 0.1 Po4 is ok? Should I lower it? And what can I do to lower it?

 

[Perthegallon]

So 0.1 Po4 is ok? Should I lower it? And what can I do to lower it?

so there are many ways to lower it but I would keep it exactly like you have it but you can use
-carbon
-less feedings
-water change
-a liquid po4 remover (this is what I do to keep it stable)
-run a skimmer if you don't have it
-use filter socks
-get corals

 

[fish farmer]

What type of corals? I have softies and a hammer coral that were growing with phosphate levels at 1ppm....not that I'm advocating that. My nitrates were around 30 ppm at the time as well. Interesting thing was when I dropped my levels over several months my hammer didn't like the change.

 

[Timfish]

It's fine. Here's 4 videos I reccomend new aquarists watch: For what it's worth research done by SOuthmpton Univeristy identifed a minimum threshold level of .03 mg/l. In case you're interested there's a list of papers on corals and phosphates if you want to familiarize yourself with it.

Forest Rohwer "Coral Reefs in the Microbial Seas"

Changing Seas - Mysterious Microbes

Nitrogen cycling in hte coral holobiont

Richard Ross What's up with phosphate"

An experimental mesocosm for long-term studies of reef corals | Journal of the Marine Biological Association of the United Kingdom | Cambridge Core

An experimental mesocosm for long-term studies of reef corals - Volume 92 Issue 4

www.cambridge.org

An Experimental Mesocosm for Longterm Studies of Reef Corals

Phosphate Deficiency:
Nutrient enrichment can increase the susceptibility of reef corals to bleaching:

Nutrient enrichment can increase the susceptibility of reef corals to bleaching - Nature Climate Change

Increased dissolved inorganic nitrogen (DIN) concentrations in sea water have been linked to a reduction of the temperature threshold at which corals bleach, however, the mechanism underlying this change is not known. This phenomenon is now explained in terms of increased phosphatase activities...

www.nature.com

Ultrastructural Biomarkers in Symbiotic Algae Reflect the Availability of Dissolved Inorganic Nutrients and Particulate Food to the Reef Coral Holobiont:

Frontiers | Ultrastructural Biomarkers in Symbiotic Algae Reflect the Availability of Dissolved Inorganic Nutrients and Particulate Food to the Reef Coral Holobiont

Reef building corals associated with symbiotic algae (zooxanthellae) can access environmental nutrients from different sources, most significantly via the up...

www.frontiersin.org

Phosphate deficiency promotes coral bleaching and is reflected by the ultrastructure of symbiotic dinoflagellates

Phosphate deficiency promotes coral bleaching and is reflected by the ultrastructure of symbiotic dinoflagellates

Enrichment of reef environments with dissolved inorganic nutrients is considered a major threat to the survival of corals living in symbiosis with din…

www.sciencedirect.com

Effects of phosphate on growth and skeletal density in the scleractinian coral Acropora muricata: A controlled experimental approach

Effects of phosphate on growth and skeletal density in the scleractinian coral Acropora muricata: A controlled experimental approach

Phosphate contamination can negatively affect corals, modifying growth rates, skeletal density, reproduction, mortality, and zooxanthellae. We determi…

www.sciencedirect.com

High phosphate uptake requirements of the scleractinian coral Stylophora pistillata

High phosphate uptake requirements of the scleractinian coral Stylophora pistillata

SUMMARYSeveral untested aspects of the regulation of inorganic nutrient uptake were examined using nutrient depletion experiments with the symbiotic coral Stylophora pistillata. The total inhibition of phosphate uptake in artificial seawater lacking sodium indicates the involvement of a...

jeb.biologists.org

Phosphorus metabolism of reef organisms with algal symbionts

https://esajournals.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1002/ecm.1217?casa_token=ziDzrEEJ8g0AAAAA%3AHnfuGTIntMdqOtx2ij-lnoTh7qVg8VBhYFz98e60zfBEvx5IcIVGhmlpUYmzIJuqUNVm0sG8_0vth6lq

2657円まるいち 博多辛子明太子(無着色) 「博多の華」 (ギフト用) 180g Z6572海産物イクラ,タラコ,魚卵 Qoo10]　「博　まるいち　博多辛子明太子(無着色) | therichross.com

2657円まるいち 博多辛子明太子(無着色) 「博多の華」 (ギフト用) 180g Z6572海産物イクラ,タラコ,魚卵 Qoo10]　「博　まるいち　博多辛子明太子(無着色) | therichross.com

therichross.com

Sponge symbionts and the marine P cycle

Sponge symbionts and the marine P cycle

Marine sponges are ubiquitous colonizers of shallow, clear-water environments in the oceans (1, 2). Sponges have emerged as significant mediators of biogeochemical fluxes in coastal zones by virtue of respiring organic matter and facilitating both the consumption and release of nutrients (3, 4)...

www.pnas.org

Phosphorus sequestration in the form of polyphosphate by microbial symbionts in marine sponges

Phosphorus sequestration in the form of polyphosphate by microbial symbionts in marine sponges

Coral reefs are highly productive ecosystems that raise a conundrum called “Darwin’s paradox”: How can high production flourish in low-nutrient conditions? We show here that in three abundant Caribbean sponges, the granules that have been commonly observed in sponge tissue for decades are...

www.pnas.org

Here's fig 4 from the paper on Phosphorus meatbolism;

 

[MERKEY]

Hi, my phosphate is at 0.1 but the corals are wide open and very happy, I’m not sure if 0.1 Po4 is too much can someone please help me?

The short answer is NO it is not too much.

The long answer has to do with the balance of your tank.

If po4 is held at .1 then nitrates need to be a little higher.

Stability over a single number is also key.

 

[Miklo_Miklo12]

I ran out to go buy some no3 Po4 x I want my levels of it to be lower what do u recommend me doing

 

[Miklo_Miklo12]

What type of corals? I have softies and a hammer coral that were growing with phosphate levels at 1ppm....not that I'm advocating that. My nitrates were around 30 ppm at the time as well. Interesting thing was when I dropped my levels over several months my hammer didn't like the change.

I have lots of lps I only have about 3 small sps frags

 

[Pistondog]

I have lots of lps I only have about 3 small sps frags

0.1 is fine, if it gets above 0.2, maybe add some nopox, 3 ml per 100 gallons per day. You can go up to 6 ml per day after a week if necessary.
Nopox is carbon dosing which builds bacteria that consume nitrates and phosphates. I make my own nopox from vodka, vinegar and water.

 

[Miklo_Miklo12]

I just tested it again to make sure and it’s at 0.25 there was no sunlight so that’s why it looked different salifert recommends to test and look at it with natural sunlight

 

[Miklo_Miklo12]

Would I have to do a water change after I’m done with the dose?

 

[Pistondog]

Would I have to do a water change after I’m done with the dose?

No, but you need to be running a skimmer to remove the bacteria with nutrients the nopox grows.

 

[Pistondog]

Nopox is a carbon source. Bacteria use it with nitrate and phosphate to reproduce, trapping the nitrates and phosphates inmore bacteria. To remove, the bacteria need to be skimmed out.

 

[Miklo_Miklo12]

Nopox is a carbon source. Bacteria use it with nitrate and phosphate to reproduce, trapping the nitrates and phosphates inmore bacteria. To remove, the bacteria need to be skimmed out.

Yes

 

[sp1187]

relax. do nothing. like @fish farmer I don't advocate it but my PO4 is 1.0-1.4 and NO3 is 40/60.
there are some corals I can't keep because of the parameters, but the ones I do keep are growing explosively.

 

[CanuckReefer]

.1 is not too much....watch it, increase water change slightly, if it rises precipitous then MAYBE dose. These dosing recommend drive me nutz honestly....what are you feeding, first off? As @Perthegallon listed, follow that lead.

 

[CanuckReefer]

relax. do nothing. like @fish farmer I don't advocate it but my PO4 is 1.0-1.4 and NO3 is 40/60.
there are some corals I can't keep because of the parameters, but the ones I do keep are growing explosively.

Well said.

 

[Miklo_Miklo12]

After using nopox do I do a water change?

 

[mikereefing]

Like everyone else said, 0.1 is not too much. My acros start to show "burnt tips"/STN at tips when my phos drops below 0.05. Ever since upping the feeding and keeping it between 0.07-0.12, my acros have recovered. I'm running an alk of 8 too.